Fruit-picker.



N0. 687,l85. Patented Nov. 26, I90l; W. E. ALLEN. FRUIT- PICKER.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1900.)

(N0 Model.)

In 1751-2 7C7J" THE NORRIS PEIERS 00.. FHOTO-LITHU.. WASHINGTON n, a.

NiTEn I STATES PATENT union WILLARD E. ALLEN, OF ERIE, MICHIGAN.

FRUIT-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 687,185, datedNovember 26, 1901.

Application filed April 12,1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLARD E. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Erie, in the county of Monroe and State of Michigan, haveinvented anew and useful Improvement in Fruit-Pickers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fruit-pickers, and has for itsobjects to provide an efficient, convenient, and simple implement of thekind, first, that is readily adjustable at Various degrees of elevation;second, that is adapted to readily grapple the fruit Without engagingthe limb to which it is attached, loosen it therefrom, and receive itwithout injury to the fruit, and, third, that is adapted to pick aquantity of fruit before it is necessary to lower the implement to theground. I accomplish these objects as illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my invention. Fig. 2shows the serrated face of a joint disk whereby the picker members maybe locked at any desired adjustment.

In the drawings, 1 is the picker-handle, which is preferably made ofwood, cane, or bamboo in jointed sections,whereby its length may beincreased or diminished as the height of the fruit requires, and isprovided at the upper end with a metallic shank-rod 2, having one endenlarged and provided with a socket 3 to receive the handle 1 and angledat the other end at a right angle to form a pivot 4, having its outerend threaded, to the base of which is concentrically secured a disk 5,having its outer face radially serrated. Y

6 is a combined picker and bag-support, comprising semi-ellipticalsections 7 and 8, pivotally jointed together and forming an adjustableelliptical frame, to which is pendently secured the open end of afruit-bag 9. Central to its curve and projecting oppositely to its endsin the plane of its curve section 7 is provided with avertically-flattened shank 10, having an orifice adapted to receive thepivot 4: of the handle-shank 2, with one face of the shank 10 radiallyserrated around the orifice and adapted for engagement with the serratedface of disk-base 5 of pivot 4. When in such engagement, by running aSerial ll'o. 12,501 (No model.)

thu1nb-nut12 on the threaded portion of pivot 4 the section 7 may belocked at any desired angle to the shank 2 of the handle 1. The ends ofsection 7 are also oppositely angled outward in the plane of its curveat right angles to shank 10 to form pivotal supports 13 for section 8,the pivots 13 being also threaded at their outer ends and provided attheir bases with concentric disks 14:, the outer faces of which are alsoradially serrated. Section Sis provided at each of its ends withflattened standards 15, secured thereto and projecting perpendicular tothe plane of its curve, each provided with an orifice adapted to receivea pivot 13 of section 7 and having the inner faces of the standards 15,contacting with the outer faces of disks 14, radially serrated aroundtheir orifices and adapted when so pivotally connected with section 7 tobe locked in any desired angle to section 7 by running thumb-nuts 17inward on the threaded ends of pivots 13. Section 8 is also providedwith a plurality of fingers 18 of equal height with standards 15 andprojecting at regular intervals around its curve and vertical to itsplane for grappling the fruit and disengaging it. Fingers 18 areslightly flattened on their inner faces, and are preferably providedwith thimbles 19, of rubber or other suitable yielding material, wherebybruising of the fruit is avoided. Fruit-bag 9 has its top edge steppedto conform to. the sections 7 and 8 when they are locked in parallelplanes, and in this position the bag is secured by its upper edge by anysuitable means pendent-1y to the elliptical frame 6, with the fingers 18projecting u pward,thereby extending the mouth of the bag to conform tothe opening of the frame. The bag 9 is constructed in form similar to astocking-foot, with the leg of the stocking severed at the ankle, sothat when secured, as aforesaid,with the handle 1 at an angle offorty-five degrees from the perpendicular and the elliptical frame 6locked horizontal to the handle 1, the top portion of the fruit-bagcorresponding with the instep portion of a stocking'foot will extenddownward along the handle ata similar angle and the portioncorresponding with the heel of a stocking will be perpendicularlybeneath the opening of the bag 9. The bottom portion of bag 9 in thisposition is secured by lacings 20 or other suitable fastening to thehandle 1, whereby the bag is partly supported by the handle when filledwith fruit. Thus constructed the picker may be lifted underneath thefruit to be picked until the fruit is within the elliptical frame 6.Then by moving the picker to bring the fingers 18 in contact therewiththe fruit is thereby disengaged from its stem and drops first into theheel 21 of the bag and then rolls gently down the under side to thebottom 22. In this way fruit may be picked until the bag is filled,which may then be lowered and emptied. It is apparent that thusconstructed the pickerframe may be at any desired angle to the handle ofthe picker, as the fruit to be picked requires, and that the sections 7and 8, may be adjusted at such angle to each other as will best adaptthem to the elevation and location of the fruit, and that by the use ofthe fingers 18 the picker may be so adjusted as to bring the branch towhich the fruit is attached between the fingers, thereby securing abetter hold on the fruit and bringing farther within the mouth of thebag and so insuring its safe delivery therein.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim to be new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fruit-picker, a handle provided with a shank, a frame pivotallymounted on the outer end of the shank and having its outer end steppedto a parallel plane by angled portions on opposite sides of the frame, aplurality of fingers integral with and arranged perpendicular to theouter end of the frame, with their outer ends cutting the plane of theinner end of the frame, extended; means to lock the frame at variousangles to the handle; a bag secured by the hem of its mouth around theframe, pendently thereto when the frame is in a horizontal position withthe fingers projecting upward, said bag having a body por-- tion that,in such position, is extended at an angle from its mouth toward thehandle and provided with means of attachment to the handle, and a ledgein the bag adapted to break the fall of the fruit.

2. A fruit-picker comprising a handle, an elliptical frame pivotally andadjustably secured to the handle,eom prising semi-elliptical sectionspivotally and adjustably secured together, one of said sections beingprovided with a shank for pivotally and adjustably securing the frame tothe handle, and the other section with a plurality ofvertically-projectin g fingers, adapted to grapple fruit attached to abranch and disengage it therefrom, a bag secured to the frame, havingits mouth extended thereby, its body portion projecting at an angletherefrom, pendently supported by the frame and the handle, said angulareX- tension forming a ledge and an incline beneath the opening of theframe and the bag, adapted to break the fall of the fruit, substantiallyas shown and described.

3. In a fruit-picker, the combination with a handle of an ellipticalframe comprising semi-elliptical sections pivotally and adjustablysecured together, one of the sections having a shank pivotally andadjustably secured to the handle, and the other having verticallyprojecting fingers at intervals around its curve, elastic thimbles forthe fingers, and a bag, having one end open and secured around theframe, held open thereby, and pendently supported therefrom, and theother end closed and pendently supported by the handle, and having itsbody portion provided with a ledge and an incline beneath the opening ofthe bag, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of April, A.D. 1900.

WILLARD E. ALLEN.

Vitnesses:

ISAAC N. FISHER, EDITH SCHAEFER.

